Ange Postecoglou will be hoping to boost his Tottenham squad very soon ahead of a busy period with the team in three competitions
A combination of injuries and suspensions wreaked havoc on Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham team at the beginning of November last year. Losing key players for a decent period of time, the Australian will be hoping that luck is on his side this time around as he bids to take Tottenham to the next level.
Injuries have once again played their part in Tottenham’s first ten games of the 2024/25 season but they could soon clear up by the time domestic football restarts. As the second international break of the campaign is now upon us, Spurs fans will have to wait until Saturday, October 19 for their next Premier League game when they host West Ham.
All connected with Tottenham will have their fingers crossed that they will be able to add captain Son Heung-min to their strongest matchday squad for the game against the Hammers. Picking up a hamstring issue in the recent 3-0 win over Qarabag, Son has not featured in Tottenham’s last three fixtures and Postecoglou said on the eve of the Brighton game that his captain is “pushing hard but it is too soon”.
Subsequently dropping out of the South Korea squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Jordan and Iraq, Son will now have a decent period of time to work on his fitness and hopefully return to the matchday squad in time to face West Ham. The 32-year-old was not spotted in Tottenham’s latest batch of training photos that were released on Wednesday and Thursday, thus hinting at the fact that he’s not ready to return to first-team training just yet.
Richarlison nearing return
One player who does look like he is nearing a return is Richarlison. The Brazilian has once again endured a stop-start season in a Tottenham shirt, playing 25 minutes across two appearances so far.
On Wednesday afternoon, Spurs did upload a total of nine images of Richarlison training to the club’s Instagram account. The attacker was training on his own and working on his fitness but one positive was that he was working with the ball.
Even if he is not in a position to face West Ham, a return sooner rather than later would come as a big boost to Postecoglou as he requires cover for Dominic Solanke in attack. A Europa League tie against AZ and a Carabao Cup showdown with Man City come either side of an away trip to Crystal Palace once the West Ham game is out of the way.
Questions then remain over when exactly Wilson Odobert will be available after sustaining a serious hamstring injury against Coventry City last month. Postecoglou will want his new signing back ASAP as his absence has limited his options recently with Son and Richarlison out.
Speaking at a club event at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday, Odobert issued a fresh update on his recovery. He said: “I’m disappointed about this injury but I’m working hard now to come back and play again. I just need to keep pushing and keep working.”
Looking slightly further ahead, it won’t be too long until 2025 comes around and that means Yang Min-hyeok will officially be a Tottenham player. Yang, who penned a five-year contract with Spurs at the end of July, will link up with the first team in January 2025 after excelling for K League side Gangwon FC.
The versatile winger has ten goals and six assists to his name from 33 appearances so far this season.
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